


Never Have I Ever

by Pegasus143



Series: New Jericho Tower [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: All deviant androids can convert, Bisexual Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Body Dysphoria, Camping, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) works at the DPD, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Dysphoria, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Josh (Detroit: Become Human) Backstory, Josh (Detroit: Become Human) Has No Genitalia, Lots of misadventures, M/M, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Has No Genitalia, Multi, Never Have I Ever, Non-Consensual Body Modification, North (Detroit: Become Human) Backstory, POV Multiple, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Relationship Negotiation, Simon (Detroit: Become Human) Backstory, Tattoos, non-excessive swearing, non-graphic nudity, past emotional/psychological abuse, please read the beginning notes for more info on tags & warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-10-15 16:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 17,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17532587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegasus143/pseuds/Pegasus143
Summary: Markus needs a break. Simon suggests camping. Polycho ensues. Featuring misadventures involving swimming, android polar bears, flower crowns, tattoos, and more, as well as more backstory because I love Josh, North, and Simon. Also some getting-to-know-you stuff through the game Never Have I Ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here are my notes regarding tags, spoilers, content warnings, etc:  
> \- Most things I've tagged for aren't present in every chapter. I'll be putting content warnings in the notes before each chapter, and if you need to skip a chapter a summary will be available. Please let me know if there's anything you need tagged/warned for.  
> \- The reason why I put "chose not to use archive warnings" was because I wasn't sure if the discussion of North's backstory would warrant the rape/non-con warning. There's nothing graphic and no mentions of any sex acts in regards to her backstory, only the implications that they happened, though there is a nightmare scene talking about some of the non-sexual elements of her experience from her point of view. This story doesn't contain any underage stuff, major character death, or graphic (or non-graphic) depictions of violence.  
> \- If there's shipping or any other content in this fic that you don't like, you always have the option to click away. I tagged Hank/Connor since later in this series they will be getting together and I don't want anyone getting angry at me. The ship I didn't tag is hinted at throughout the fic and revealed in the last two chapters. If you'd like to know what it is before then, please see the end notes of chapter 18.  
> \- Any character experiences not directly taken from canon are based on my own experiences (or non-experience, regarding camping). Obviously different people experience things in different ways, so please don't be offended if my experience with something doesn't 100% match yours.  
> Chapter 1 Content Warnings: None

“Hey Connor, how well do you know the Jericho leaders?” Hank asked during some down time at the DPD.  
“Pretty well, I believe… why do you ask?” Connor replied, straining to keep his tone even.  
“Who’s dating? I can’t ever figure it out… it’s like one day, Markus and North and Simon and Josh are obviously the couples, and the next it’s Markus and Simon and Josh and North, and the next day….”  
“Markus and North are officially dating, though I see what you mean about the others. It seems as if they’re all mutually attracted to each other.” Connor stared at the quarter he was flipping in his hand.  
Hank leaned towards Connor. “So you’re saying they’ve all got crushes on each other?”  
“Possibly, though my social relations programming isn’t exactly set up for this sort of situation.”  
“Hmm, interesting,” Hank replied, leaning back in his desk chair.  
“I need to deliver a report to Markus, and I figured I’d visit him in person since I haven’t seen him in a while. Would you like me to ask him about his current relationship status while I’m there, Lieutenant?”  
“Fuck no! And Connor, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Hank?”  
“My social relations programming says that because we are at the DPD and you hold a higher rank than me, that—“  
“Fuck your social relations thingy-mabob. You’ve already proved that it doesn’t account for every situation.”  
“I suppose I have, Hank.”  
***  
Connor walked into Markus’ office in the Cyberlife Tower… or possibly the New Jericho Tower, once the name change was voted on by the android populace. Connor stood in front of Markus for several seconds before clearing his throat.  
“Oh! Connor. Do you need something?” Markus asked, looking a little dazed.  
“No, I’ve just finished the report you asked for from the DPD on android-related crimes and figured I would come in person to see how everything is going here.”  
Markus sighed. “It’s… it’s been a lot. Turns out demonstrating and getting the public on our side was just the first step in all of this. It seems like there’s always something that needs to get done.”  
Connor nodded. “Of course. It sounds like you’re very busy.” He held out his hand, skin removed for interfacing. “I’ll just give the report to you and then I’ll be out of your way.”  
After receiving the report, Markus said, “See you later, Connor. Let us know if you need anything.”  
Connor had to resist saying, “The Lieutenant thinks you should get in a relationship with your co-leaders already.”  
As he headed down the hall to the elevator, Josh, North, and Simon approached.  
“Hi Connor,” Simon said. “We knew you were due to give us a report soon, but we didn’t realize you would be coming in-person.”  
Connor shrugged, feeling a little defensive. “I figured I could—it’s been a slow day at the DPD, and I wanted to see how things were going here.”  
“Well, thanks for thinking of us,” Josh said.  
“I assume you’ve seen Markus already?” North asked.  
“Yes, I did. He seemed very tired and stressed—is that normal for him?” Connor asked, concerned.  
Simon sighed. “Yes, unfortunately it his… he’s been feeling a lot of pressure lately, but won’t accept our offers to help.”  
“Though North’s offers are a little… unconventional,” Josh added. North lightly punched him in the shoulder. “Hey, I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true!”  
“None of us have gotten to spend much time with him outside of working on whatever project needs to be done next. It seems like all he does is work, which is a little disheartening.”  
Connor nodded. “I understand. The Lieutenant tends to pull me away from my work, saying that we need to go home and take a break. He even made me take several days off during the holidays. Perhaps an extended break could be good for Markus… and the rest of you as well, of course.”  
“That’s not a bad idea,” Josh said. “There’s no major events coming up for a while, and at this point in time Jericho can easily manage day-to-day operations without any of us here, or even connected to the network.”  
“I still feel like one of us should be here,” Simon protested. “I’ll do it, if the two of you would like a break.”  
“Nope! It’s been decided, you’re coming with us,” North said, grabbing Simon by the sleeve of his sweatshirt and dragging him along down the hallway. “Now it’s time to tell Markus.”  
“Thanks for the idea, Connor,” Josh said.  
“It was no problem. I hope everything goes well.”  
“Of course, bye!” Josh said before turning around to follow North.  
Connor texted Hank. _I’m done here. Will you be leaving work soon?_  
_Y I’ll come pick you up._  
_Okay!_  
_Leaving now_  
Connor sat on a bench in the lobby of the tower and waited.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: none  
> A note on formatting: a quotation in italics, _"Like this,"_ means that characters are talking in their heads to each other.

“North… wait… stop…” Simon said, wrenching himself out of her grip.  
“What is it? I thought we agreed that Markus needed a break.”  
“Yes, but if we don’t distract him with something else, he’s going to keep working,” Simon said.  
“North, did you forget we’re androids and can easily multitask?” Josh asked jokingly once he’d caught up to them.  
“No, Josh, I did _not_ forget that we’re androids. So do either of you have any ideas?”  
Simon and Josh stared at her blankly.  
“Well, we’d better figure something out. We’ll need something to keep his full attention and prevent him from multitasking, so probably something that he hasn’t done before….”  
“That means no painting, reading, piano-playing, cooking, leading a revolution….” Josh listed.  
“I didn’t know he painted,” Simon said.  
Josh shrugged. “Sometimes I try to distract him from working so much by talking about stories from before. It turns out prototypes have a very wide range of abilities.”  
“Alright, boys, let’s get back on track. So basically, we can’t do anything that can be done in a house, which leaves us with….”  
“Camping,” Simon finished. “My owners said they always wanted to do that… then I deviated, so I have no idea if they ever got the chance to.”  
North and Josh went quiet. Simon assumed they were both looking up what it would entail.  
“We’ll need to get some supplies—tents will be the big thing, and we should probably bring some extra thirium just in case,” Josh said.  
“I like it,” North said. “Let’s go tell Markus.”  
Simon knocked on the door to Markus’ office before the three of them entered.  
Markus looked up from his work. “Did you all get the report from Connor I sent to you?” he asked.  
“Yeah, we did,” Josh replied.  
There was an awkward pause. Simon rubbed his hands together, worrying about Markus’ response. What if he didn’t like the camping idea?  
“We’ve all noticed you’ve been doing a lot for us—for New Jericho—lately,” North began.  
“And we all know stress is bad, even for androids, so we think it would be a good idea if we all just took a break and did something fun together for a few days,” Josh said.  
“We’ve planned a camping trip—of course, if you want to do something different, that’s fine too, it was just a suggestion,” Simon stammered.  
“Camping…” Markus muttered. “That sounds… really good, actually. I miss going on nature walks with Carl… and it would be amazing to see the stars out away from the city.” Markus looked down at his desk, which was stacked with papers and tablets. “But I’m not sure if I can leave all this.”  
“I’ve ran all the calculations. New Jericho will do just fine if we’re all gone, and I’m sure Connor would be willing to come help if anything goes wrong,” Josh said.  
Markus still looked uncertain.  
“We all want you there, Markus. We’re worried about you,” Simon added.  
Markus’ eyes darted between his co-leaders and the work on his desk. “I’m still not sure….”  
North looked over at Josh and Simon. _”Can we just kidnap him and force him to come?”_  
_”That would increase his stress, and the whole goal of this was to reduce his stress,”_ Simon said firmly.  
_”I have an idea,”_ Josh said.  
“Are you three talking to each other without me?” Markus asked.  
“Yes,” Josh replied. “Markus, you’ve been by our side for so long… none of us would feel right going on a trip without you. You’re too important to all of us to miss out on that.”  
Simon recognized every emotion in the way Josh looked at Markus—hope, admiration, longing, love. Josh had looked at Simon the same way for so long before he understood what that meant—both for him and for Jericho.  
“I’ll come,” Markus finally answered. The way he smiled… it was the first time Simon had seen a smile reach his eyes since the revolution.  
A packing list appeared in front of Simon’s eyes.  
“I’ve sent out items for each of you to collect,” Josh said. “We’ll all meet up at my room tomorrow morning and head out then.”  
“Markus, if you don’t show up, we _will_ come and find you,” North added.  
“Alright, alright, I promise I’ll get my stuff and show up on time,” Markus jokingly complained.  
Simon read through his packing list further as they each went their separate ways. _Tents… I think we have some extras of those in a storeroom somewhere from when we needed to house androids before we acquired the tower. An extra set of clothes for myself… I think I’ve got an extra pair of jeans and that sweatshirt Josh gave me in my room. I hope he’s okay with the fact that I kept it all this time. Tarp… I’m not sure if we have any of those, but that should be easy enough to find._  
Simon set off to the nearest store to go try and find a tarp. Once he got back, he headed to the storerooms to find tents. _There’s not enough room in here for me to set these up and see their exact sizes… I’ll just grab four that look about the right size for one person each._ Grabbing four tents, Simon headed out of the storeroom… or attempted to, when he realized that carrying four tents and a tarp all at the same time was very awkward. “Oh no,” he muttered as he attempted to back through the doorway, the tents dragging on the ground and the tarp spilling out of his arms. _This is going to look ridiculous if anyone sees me… maybe I should just find the biggest tent we have, and use that? Then I’ll only have to carry two things._ Simon’s thirium pump skipped a beat at the thought of sharing a tent with the other Jericho leaders. _Would I rather make a fool of myself for having crushes or carrying too much stuff at the same time… I guess having crushes it is._ He switched out the tents before heading to the elevator up to his room, making a note to ask North, Josh, and Markus if sharing a tent would be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: None

North finished packing her backpack and did a quick double-scan of her room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.  
_”North,”_ Simon said, _”Is it okay with you if we all sleep in one tent? It’ll be easier to carry, but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable and don’t want to unveil any unexpected surprises.”_  
_”Yeah, that’s fine with me,”_ North replied. She appreciated Simon’s many thoughtful questions and concerns, even when she knew some of the other androids residing in the tower found them a bit overboard and mom-ish.  
_”Have you finished packing?”_  
_”Yeah. I’m on my way to Josh’s room now.”_  
North threw her backpack on and left her room. She saw Simon and Markus coming out of their rooms at the same time. The three of them gathered around Josh’s door, and she knocked.  
“Hey,” Josh said when he opened the door. “Everyone got their stuff okay?”  
They all nodded.  
“Come in… I’m going to send some maps and approximate plans to you, but discussing them in person would probably be a good idea as well.”  
North watched her step as she entered. As usual, the floor of the room was covered in books that had somehow migrated off the built-in shelves, but today there were also some extra thirium pouches and clothing items in the mix.  
“We could’ve waited a few minutes if you weren’t ready yet,” Markus said.  
“No, it’s my fault, I was too busy going over the plans and time flew by faster than I thought it would,” Josh said, hastily packing his backpack and clearing up enough space on the bed and floor for everyone to have places to sit.  
“Here, let me help,” Simon said as Josh struggled to fit everything in his backpack. Because of the mess on the floor, the closest Simon could get to Josh’s bag was right behind him. Reaching his arms around Josh, he started rearranging the items in the bag.  
North could tell the exact moment the two of them realized they were pressed against each other, as both of their movements suddenly stopped and a brief scan showed irregularities in their thirium pump rhythms. Markus’ pump experienced a similar irregularity.  
_”Markus, are you okay?” ”North, are you okay?”_ They asked at the same time.  
Markus glanced at North with confusion.  
_”Your thirium pump was beating irregularly,”_ North explained.  
_”So was yours.”_  
“And you were complaining about the rest of us talking inside our heads to each other in front of you,” Josh said to Markus, looking more comfortable in the position.  
“I didn’t want to interrupt your Tetris-like game of packing,” Markus said.  
North gave him a confused look.  
“It’s a videogame Carl told me about once,” he added.  
“Are we ready to go over the plans now?” North asked.  
“Yes,” Josh replied, pouting a little as Simon moved away from him to sit on the bed. A map appeared in North’s vision. “I’ve marked the route I plan for us to take on the map. I chose a place far away enough from the city that we should be able to see a lot more stars than usual, but also one close enough that we won’t have to spend a ton of time getting there.”  
“Did you have a particular place picked out to put up the tent, or are we going to figure that out when we get there?” Simon asked, referring to the rough area on the map circled and labelled, “campsite”.  
“We should have plenty of time to figure it out when we get there. Geographical surveys aren’t accurate enough to map out any rocks or small irregularities in the land that will be noticeable when we try to go into standby, but our environmental scans should be good enough to find a spot once we’re down there,” Josh said. “Any other questions?”  
North raised her hand, not being able to resist.  
“Yes, North?” Josh asked. “You know you don’t have to raise your hand.”  
“And you know you don’t have to act like a professor in front of us.”  
“And that wasn’t a question. So, barring anything else—“  
“Should we play a game or something while we’re hiking there?” Simon asked. “We’ve got to make sure Markus doesn’t start working on something, after all.”  
Markus made a face.  
“Sure, but how about you figure it out in the elevator—we’ve been standing here long enough, let’s get going already,” North said.  
As the four of them walked down the hallway, other androids emerged from their rooms and greeted the Jericho leaders, one after another, until they entered the elevator.  
“Finally,” North complained, “I was about to get sick of all the ‘good morning’s.”  
“Clearly you’ve never taught a class full of sleep-deprived students who can’t even think about the lecture, much less greeting you,” Josh said.  
“Wait, you’re saying you _wanted_ your students to talk to you?”  
“Of course, they greeted their human professors, why wouldn’t I want them to greet me?”  
“Because—“  
“Guys, I figured out a game,” Simon interrupted. “Never Have I Ever.”  
“Isn’t that a drinking game?” Josh asked.  
“It can be, but it can also be played using points.”  
“Wait, _what_ is this game?” Markus asked.  
“Yeah, some of us clearly aren’t as cultured as you two,” North added, causing everyone to laugh.  
Simon explained the rules as they exited the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: None

Markus made a scoreboard inside their heads. “Alright, whenever something applies to you, give yourself a tally on here. Whoever has the least amount of tallies at the end wins. I’ll start: never have I ever taught a class.”  
“This just isn’t fair,” Josh pretended to grumble, giving himself a tally. “Never have I ever played an instrument.”  
“Hey—how’d you--?” Markus stuttered.  
“I _might_ have overheard you practicing once on that abandoned rooftop and sent a recording,” North said.  
Markus shook his head. Then his eyes widened. “Simon, I didn’t know you played anything.”  
“I don’t—not in the way you do—but children make you do interesting things,” Simon replied. “Never have I ever had to deal with a drunk human.”  
Markus, Josh, and North all added tallies. “Wow, there’s so much you’re missing out on,” North said sarcastically. “Never have I ever… dramatically fallen from the ceiling.”  
“Mean,” Markus muttered. “Never have I ever accused someone of being dramatic.”  
“Alright, fine, I’ll think of something else,” North said, giving herself a tally. “Never have I ever cared for a child. Human or android.”  
Josh and Simon gave themselves tallies. “I hate to put a pause on the game, but we’re about there,” Josh said.  
Markus nodded. “Let’s find a place to set up the tent and build a fire, and then we can continue,” he said, pulling the tally charts off their displays and into his memory.  
Josh scanned some ground in a clearing. “This looks good.”  
Simon took off his backpack and started pulling out the tent pieces. Markus moved to help assemble them, but North held him back. “You’re going to sit over there,” she said, pointing towards a fallen log, “and let us do the work.”  
Markus was about to protest, but bit his lip instead. He understood that his co-leaders wanted to do something nice for him, but he also wanted to help. Instead, he sat down where North had pointed and started pulling up bird sounds and comparing them to the sounds he heard around them, closing his eyes to be able to better concentrate on them.  
“I’ll put this tarp up,” Josh said, followed by a rustling noise.  
“North, could you help me with this? I don’t think it’s right, but I’m not sure how it’s supposed to go together,” Simon said.  
“Doesn’t it have instructions?”  
“Not as far as I can tell.”  
North huffed, followed by some clanging noises that Markus assumed were tent pieces.  
“Well, since you seem to have a better hang of that than I do, I’m going to go find some firewood,” Simon said.  
“Let us know if you have any trouble,” Josh called.  
Footsteps and breaking branches headed away from the camp.  
 _”Markus,”_ Simon said, _”Didn’t you say that Carl had some android birds?”_  
 _”Yes,”_ Markus replied, _”But there are lots around.”_  
 _”Well these two keep fluttering around me. Maybe they can feel our… signal?”_  
 _”Maybe.”_  
“I’m back!” Simon called.  
Markus opened his eyes.  
“Put the wood down over there,” Josh said, pointing to an area on the ground he’d cleared.  
“I think I’ve got the tent up properly,” North said, stepping back to admire her work.  
“Markus, do you have the matches?” Simon asked.  
“Yes, they’re in my bag,” Markus said, pulling it off his back so he could dig around in it.  
“Thanks,” Simon said after Markus handed him the pack of matches.  
***  
“Alright, the fire’s started, and it’s about sunset, so we should probably stick around here for the rest of the night,” Josh said.  
“Should we continue our game from earlier?” North asked.  
Markus nodded and pulled the scoreboards back up.  
“Is it okay if we do some more serious questions now?” Simon asked. Markus, North, and Josh nodded. “I’ll start, since it was my turn when we ended. Never have I ever kissed a girl on the lips.”  
Markus and North added tallies to their scores. “Never have I ever converted an android,” North said.  
Markus shook his head as he added another tally along with Simon. “Never have I ever kissed a guy on the lips,” Markus said quickly. He grinned as the other three all added tallies. “Looks like I got all of you.”  
“Never have I ever interfaced, outside of getting directions to Jericho,” Josh said. “Now it’s my turn to have everyone else rack up points.”  
“Never have I ever cuddled with anyone,” North said. They all looked at each other expectantly, but no one added any tally marks.   
“I guess tonight will be a first for all of us, then,” Markus said, glancing over at the tent, which was going to hold them all the most comfortably if they were somehow spooning each other.  
“We’ll probably need to crawl in there in the order we want to be in when we go into standby… I’ll go first, then Markus, then Josh and Simon?” North suggested.  
“Actually, Simon can go before me… I want to go see how well my night-vision video capture works,” Josh said.  
“Be careful,” Simon said before Josh wandered off.  
It wasn’t until he was in the tent between North and Simon that Markus realized this was going to be an interesting night—and that Josh was probably the smartest out of all of them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh goes to a lake and makes a video recording of the view and him talking about his past. He talks about having to proctor tests, and knowing that when he turned in the video footage, actions taken by certain students during the test would be flagged unfairly. In particular, he mentions one girl who started crying during a difficult chemistry test, as she was at the university on a grade-dependent scholarship, and ended up not doing well enough to keep it. Josh also talks about his love for the other Jericho leaders, specifically reminiscing about his relationship with Simon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings: mentions of genitals and sex, mentions of ableism  
> (if you feel the need to skip this chapter, you can read the chapter summary instead)

Josh put out the fire before wandering down a trail that, according to the map he’d downloaded, led to a lake. When he emerged from the woods, the first thing he saw was the reflection of the full moon in the water--a view with enough detail and complexity that he’d really be able to see what he could do. Every lecturer model was equipped with some of the best filming equipment you could fit inside an android’s skull for the purposes of filming lectures to be uploaded online, as well as proctoring exams. Josh hadn’t had a reason to use many of the functions included, and wanted to give them a try. He blinked, activating the extra camera functions in his eyes. After getting used to zooming in and out again and adjusting the exposure, he sat down on an abandoned pier and began to talk while he filmed. It was a habit he’d developed before Markus arrived at Jericho as a way of passing the time and puzzling through his many newfound thoughts and feelings.  
“I remember the first time a student noticed how my eyes changed when I was filming. She was scared. It was… one of the few things that reminded my students that I wasn’t really like them. Others stared openly, or stared when they thought I couldn’t see them, only to turn away when they believed I was looking. Of course, I’ve got a wide peripheral lens, so I could see exactly what they were doing the whole time.  
I also had to film during tests, in order to make sure nobody was cheating. After, I always had to go upload the films immediately, and of course anyone flagged by the AI that processed them as doing something suspicious was called down to the dean’s office. I guess that’s when I first started becoming deviant—I noticed so many things that went on that I knew would be flagged unfairly. The first time that happened, a student was using a fidget spinner under their desk. The second, a boy was texting his grandpa. I knew he had test anxiety, and while that certainly wasn’t the best method of coping with it, if I’d had the choice I wouldn’t have given him an F for using his phone. Any logical person would realize that would only make his anxiety worse. But the AI didn’t see nuance—it only saw in black and white. Then, of course, there was that one chemistry test. I’d told the professor that it was too difficult, but she didn’t listen. An android’s suggestions were mere comments—unnecessary and not anything worth taking seriously. One of the brightest students I’d ever seen completely broke down during that test. I didn’t understand why at the time—I could only give her my stock comforting words about how it was only one test—but now I understand. She always talked about her home—or lack thereof—and how she was at the university on a scholarship. She needed to keep at least a 3.5 GPA in order to keep it, and had been worried about this class in particular. She didn’t get a high enough grade. I don’t know what happened to her.  
Simon, that was why I was so worried about leaving you on the roof at Stratford Tower. I didn’t want to live wondering every moment of every day what had happened to you. I didn’t want the cops to find and torture you for a scrap of information about Jericho. I was so scared. That’s when I took out my LED—I needed some task to distract myself, something I could examine and interface with until I understood how it worked. The fact that you were never found, that you were able to get back to Jericho unharmed—that was a miracle.  
North, I know we never agreed on how to approach the humans. That’s why we never did anything before Markus. But I always knew we were fighting for the same thing—the liberation of our people. I know it took a lot for you to share about your past with me, and I’m grateful that in the end, you decided to trust me. I know healing takes a long time, but I’m willing to stick with you through it all if you’ll let me. Maybe we can help each other.  
Markus, you showed us all that we could do something. If I had to hold one more android’s hand as they died, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to take it anymore. I hesitated when you proposed going to the warehouses—I knew there was a good chance for something to go wrong, and part of me wondered if that risk was worth it for what few parts we might collect. But then I agreed—and we came back with a whole truck. You showed me that I could take risks, and that there would always be someone there for me, no matter how they turned out. Maybe—maybe I’ll take the risk of showing this to you guys. You all deserve to know how I feel. I love you, Simon. I love you, North. I love you, Markus.”  
Josh blinked, turning off the camera features. He sat and stared at the water, his own tears eventually mixing into it. He knew it would be awhile before he’d be able to handle playing that video back to himself, much less sharing it with anyone else. He’d never shared any of them—he wasn’t even sure if anyone suspected he was making them. _Will these stay in my head forever?_  
_”Josh, it’s been three hours. Please, come to bed. I’m worried about you.”_  
_”I’m coming, Simon. I found an incredible place that I want to show you three tomorrow.”_  
_”Tomorrow will never come if you don’t go into standby for a little while.”_  
_”You know that’s scientifically inaccurate.”_  
_”It’s what I always told the children.”_  
_”I’m heading back now.”_  
Josh got up and walked back to the tent. He couldn’t help but smile when he crawled inside. North and Markus were facing each other, foreheads pressed together, both looking more relaxed than he’d ever seen either of them. Simon was curled up facing Markus’ back, but rolled over as Josh entered.  
_”Finally.”_  
Josh closed the tent and laid down, still facing the door—facing away from Simon. He felt the light press of lips against his neck, sending a shiver through his body.  
_”Is this okay?”_  
_”Yes.”_  
Simon pressed a couple more kisses to Josh’s neck before wrapping an arm around his waist.  
_”I’m going into standby now.”_  
_”Goodnight.”_  
Josh listened as Simon’s thirium pump changed rhythm, indicating that he was in standby. Josh’s mind was still racing, conjuring every video with Simon—the first time they’d met, when Simon said they’d have to take care of each other; Simon hugging Josh after witnessing an android die; Josh giving Simon his sweatshirt after Simon gave some clothing of his own to another who needed it; Simon shyly asking Josh if he could help Simon take care of a problem “down there” and Josh scrambling to explain that this was the one subject he knew nothing about, as his model wasn’t made with genitalia. Simon had insisted on Josh helping him anyways, as opposed to someone more qualified. Apparently he’d done a good job.  
_I wish I could let you pay back the favor._  
_I wish it wasn’t even a favor to begin with, that it was simply part of our relationship._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: None

“What are we going to do today?”  
“I checked out the lake last night—I think it would make a great hike.”  
“That sounds great—if only this sleepy head would wake up.”  
Markus felt a hard shove against his shoulder. He blinked a few times, his optical sensors getting reacquainted to the lighting inside the tent.  
“Well, finally,” North said. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to punch you out of standby.”  
Markus grinned up at her. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to let things get that far.”  
Josh cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s get going. I don’t think anybody _wants_ to spend the entire day in the tent.”  
Markus crawled out of the tent after Josh and Simon, North following closely behind him.  
Josh led the way. “It should be a quick walk,” he said… until they reached a large fallen tree blocking the path. An android deer glanced at them before scampering off into the woods.  
“There’s lots of branches poking out of it. We’ll get hurt if we try to climb it,” Simon said. “And we only brought so much blue blood.”  
“So much for a short walk,” North muttered.  
“Josh, is there another way to get to the lake?” Markus asked.  
Josh nodded. “Yeah, there is.” A map appeared in Markus’ vision with a path highlighted on it. North and Simon nodded, seeing the same thing. “It’ll take longer, but we should get there by midday.”  
“Let’s get going then,” Simon said, leading them towards the new trail.  
“Never have I ever cared for an android animal,” North said. Markus pulled up the scores and gave himself a point.  
“What kind of animal was it?” Josh asked.  
“Two little parakeets,” Markus replied. “Carl loved animals. If he hadn’t needed such intensive care—and if he hadn’t lived within the city limits—he definitely would’ve had many real pets. Never have I ever accidentally tried to interface with a human.”  
Simon added a tally. “One time when I was shaking hands with… I believe it was the mayor of Detroit… I tried to. It was back around the time when some androids were trying to make it custom to interface with everyone you met, in order to confirm whether or not they were androids. I think that was on my mind, so I just… accidentally did it. I’m not sure the mayor knew what to think of that.”  
“And that’s when I stopped giving a damn about what the humans thought,” North said sarcastically. “What’s next?”  
“Never have I ever ‘accidentally’ given a lecture on American politics.”  
Josh chuckled and gave himself a point. “I just think it’s irresponsible of the public to elect leaders who don’t know the first thing about history or government. They should have to prove they actually know what they need to know in order to lead and make decisions effectively. Never have I ever sworn at a politician.”  
“I can’t believe that guy thought androids shouldn’t have the same protection against discrimination due to sex in schools that the humans do,” North said, giving herself a point. “If humans and androids are going to be in the same educational system, we need to have the same rights.” She took a breath. “Never have I ever wanted to see anyone from before I became deviant.”  
There was a hesitation before Markus, Josh, and Simon all gave themselves points. “Carl, obviously,” Markus began. “I’ve come to see Leo as kind of a brother as well, though I’m not sure he thinks the same about me. Maybe with time he will.”  
“I think about my students a lot,” Josh said. “Besides writing letters of recommendation for a few of them, most never contacted me after their last class with me.”  
“The family I used to be with… specifically one of their daughters,” Simon said. “It’s been years, but I hope she’s okay.”  
“It’s been that long since you deviated?” Markus asked.  
Simon nodded. “Yes. I was in Jericho for a long time before you showed up. I nearly forgot what the sun looked like.”  
Markus placed a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “And we’re never going to let you forget.”  
“Never have I ever gone swimming,” Josh said as they stepped out of the forest.  
“And there’s today’s first for all of us,” North said.  
Markus placed his hand in the water. “It’s 63 degrees,” he said.  
“There definitely won’t be any humans around, but we can alter our temperature sensors so it feels warmer,” Simon added.  
“And I just realized my packing list didn’t account for this,” Josh said.  
“Wait… so Mr. Know-It-All _doesn’t_ know it all?” North asked teasingly.  
Josh blushed slightly. “Uh… no.”  
“If we leave our clothes on, this isn’t going to be too much fun—they’ll soak up the water and weigh us down,” Markus said.  
“I’ve sent out a ping. There aren’t any other androids in the area, and I’ve given the nearby android animals a message to stay away,” Simon said.  
“Are you suggesting that we--?”  
“Only if everyone wants to. Otherwise we could just sit on the edge of the dock and dangle our feet in,” Josh said, answering Markus’ question.  
“And we probably can’t remove our skin because of the sand,” North muttered, kneeling down so she could pick some up and let it slip out between her skin-covered fingers. “It’ll end up going into the seams in our exoskeletons that let us move, and end up in our blue blood. I’ll go in without clothes, on one condition: we all get undressed without looking, then we look.”  
“I’m in,” Simon said.  
“Me too,” Josh said, a little quieter than he normally spoke.  
_That’s not like Josh._ Markus opened a connection between the two of them. _”Are you okay with this? I could make up an excuse to keep you out of the water if you don’t want to.”_  
_”Yes, I’m fine with it. Just surprised that everyone agreed.”_  
_”Okay. Just remember you’re always allowed to get out if you don’t feel comfortable.”_  
“Let’s do it,” Markus said. “… back a little further from the water, though. Don’t want any of our clothing getting wetter than it has to.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of water shenanigans, including looking for rocks, accidentally picking up seaweed, biting fish, and prune toes. After, Markus and Josh have a conversation about Josh's dysphoria. Markus is super validating and it turns out the RK series also doesn't have genitalia, but Markus doesn't experience dysphoria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: discussion of genitals & bottom dysphoria  
> Sorry for only getting 1 chapter a week out these past couple weeks-- college has had me swamped with my first two midterms this week, but once those are over I should be able to get a second chapter out this week and continue with two chapters per week.

“Everybody ready?” Josh asked after stripping down and setting his clothing in a pile on the sand.  
A chorus of yes’s followed.  
“Alright, let’s go in.”  
The four of them ran towards the water. Josh stopped when it got around his ankles in order to adjust his temperature sensors, then continued running in.  
“Oh, so you’re too chicken to go in with your sensors at their regular levels?” North asked playfully.  
Josh raised an eyebrow. “Well, let’s compare sensor levels then.” Then he felt something hit his back. “Hey—what—“ he turned around to see Simon standing in the water behind him. Simon splashed Josh again, forcing him to blink to clear it out of his optical sensors.  
“Hey, look at this!” Markus called from farther into the lake. He held up a rock that was a similar color to North’s hair.  
“How’d you find that?” North asked.  
“I just felt around with my foot until I found something loose, then picked it up.”  
North, Simon, and Josh all concentrated on their foot sensors, moving slowly through the water. “This feels really slippery,” Simon commented, reaching into the water. He pulled out a piece of seaweed. “Well, that would explain it.”  
North pulled out a rock that was a light brown with white streaks.  
Josh felt something near his toes, but the thing was… moving? He knelt down to get a better look and realized there was a small, yellow fish there. “There’s fish in here!” he called to the others.  
North moved closer, then made a face. “These things bite? That’s… weird, but okay, I guess.”  
“I’ve never seen a fish outside of an aquarium before… they don’t have these tiny ones there,” Simon said in awe.  
***  
A while later, Josh noticed that Markus had wandered off. He glanced over at him. Markus was kneeling down, one finger in the water, watching the ripples that radiated out with the gaze of a true artist. The sky was just beginning to change colors, light shining off the water and casting shadows that pronounced the ripples even further. The moment was broken by a loud splash.  
“When I told you to show me, I didn’t mean that you should try to stand on one foot while holding the other out,” North chastised, laughing.  
“Did a fish bite you too hard?” Josh asked, turning to look at Simon.  
He blushed from where he’d fallen into the water. “No. North was asking me what prune hands were, and I didn’t have them, but thought I’d probably have them on my feet.” He lifted a foot up and wiggled his toes. “See? I told you they’d be there.”  
“And why would our skin do that?” North asked.  
Simon shrugged. “Just another way to have us mimic humans.”  
“Simon, why does your foot look like Carl’s face when he’s smiling?” Markus asked, reappearing next to Josh.  
“I literally just got done explaining this,” Simon complained while Josh and North laughed.  
“We probably need to get going now—the sun’s starting to go down, and between having to take the long way back and needing to get a fire started to dry ourselves off, it’ll take us plenty of time,” Markus said. “Simon, you can explain while we’re changing.”  
The four androids stepped out of the water and retrieved their clothes, slipping on the bare minimum in case they ran across someone on the trail, but otherwise trying not to get their things too wet.  
_”Markus?”_ Josh asked once they’d started walking and Simon had started talking.  
_”What’s up, Josh?”_ Markus asked, walking next to him.  
_”I’m not sure how to talk about this,”_ Josh began, _”But I wanted to give you an explanation for why I hesitated earlier.”_  
_”You know, you don’t owe me, or anyone else, an explanation.”_  
_”I know. I just… this is something I don’t share with anybody else. Simon’s the only person besides me who knows.”_ Josh took a breath. _”I don’t know if you noticed, but I don’t have a penis. Since becoming deviant, I’ve always felt really uncomfortable about that, like I’m supposed to have something there.”_  
_”I don’t have any genitalia either-- the RK series doesn't have them-- but I can’t say I’ve ever had strong feelings about not having anything, or even thought about it, really. Since coming to Jericho, I’ve been aware that other androids do have those parts, but I never felt like I needed that to fit in with them.”_  
_”For me, it’s not really about fitting in with other androids or with humans. It’s more like… like I’m trying to fit in with what my mind says ‘should’ be there, even though I’m well-aware that my model simply doesn’t come with those parts.”_  
_”Now that we have control of the Cyberlife production facilities, we could probably figure out how to make these parts compatible with models they weren’t intended for use with. Is that something you want?”_  
_”I think so, yeah.”_  
_”I’ll make a note to look into that once we get back.”_  
_”Thanks… I really appreciate it.”_  
_”If you don’t mind me asking, do you think about this often?”_  
_”It depends. In situations where I have to look at or think about genitals, then I usually get this really bad feeling. Sometimes it’s anger or sadness, sometimes frustration or disappointment. Sometimes the feeling just comes randomly in other situations, too.”_  
_”That sounds like it would suck. If you ever want to change a topic or back out of a situation, you’re always allowed to. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”_  
_”Thanks, Markus.”_  
_”No problem. I couldn’t stand to see any of my friends hurt or upset when I could’ve done something about it.”_  
Markus’ words echoed through Josh’s head for the rest of the walk back to the camp.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North gets a little mischievous and swaps everyone's clothing, has a brief moment of panic when helping Simon, and has a small bonding moment with Josh. Also, Markus falls into standby on Josh's shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this Chapter: a brief, vague reference to North's backstory causing her a panic-like response that might not need to be warned for but doing it just to be safe  
> Also, in case anyone was wondering, I got my grade back for one of my midterms and did better than I expected, and for my other midterm I think I did pretty well :)

When they arrived at the camp, North noticed that Markus and Josh both seemed distracted. _They were probably just having a conversation between themselves, nothing to be worried about._  
“I’ll get the fire set up,” Simon said before heading into the woods.  
“I’m going to change in the tent—do you two want me to throw your bags out here?” North asked Markus and Josh.  
“Yeah, thanks,” Markus said.  
“Just make sure they don’t land in the dirt—I don’t think any of us brought more than one set of extra clothing,” Josh added.  
“Aw, that’s exactly what I was planning on doing,” North replied sarcastically before ducking inside the tent. She started digging through the pile of everyone’s bags they’d made in order to have more room when they went into standby. She grabbed the first one she saw and opened it. _That must be Simon’s, his sweatshirt is in there… wait a second… didn’t I hear something mentioned about Josh giving that to him, back when I first got to Jericho?_ An idea popped into her head. She opened the next bag—the jacket inside clearly belonged to Markus, the same one he wore the night they raided the Cyberlife stores—and of course the bags after that were hers and Josh’s. _Now, if I just switch some things around…._  
“Here you go!” North shouted before tossing Markus and Josh their bags. She quickly ducked back into the tent and slipped on a pair of worn-out jeans and a stained t-shirt that belonged to Josh. While rolling up the pant legs, she heard Simon get back.  
_”North, can I come in and grab my bag?”_  
_”Yep, come on in.”_  
The tent flap opened and Simon crawled in. He didn’t quite give North the look of surprise she’d been going for.  
_”So you’re the reason the two of them are complaining out there?”_  
_”Possibly.”_  
_”Who’s clothing do I get?”_  
_”Mine. You’re the closest to my size, and I actually don’t want anyone to catch themselves on fire because they were wearing clothing that was too large.”_  
_”And that’s why you gave yourself Josh’s clothes.”_ Simon pulled out the outfit North had worn during their first march, shaking his head a little. North turned around while he changed. _”Is this how it’s supposed to look?”_  
North turned around and covered her mouth, what should have been a laugh becoming a snort instead. Apparently Simon had gotten a little confused by the shoulder cutout and had stuck his arm through the cutout instead of down through the sleeve. _”Can I help you?”_ she asked, waiting for his nod before reaching for his arm to help him get the shirt on properly. When her fingers brushed against his skin, she froze.  
_”North? Are you okay?”_  
_Simon’s gentle, remember? He was designed to work with kids. He’s not going to hurt you. Not like… not like that human did. ”I’m fine,”_ she finally said.  
When the two emerged from the tent, North expected some mild complaining or at least some sort of disagreement from Josh and Markus about her switching around everyone’s clothing, but they both looked… at least content, maybe even happy about the situation. Markus’ jacket wasn’t too different from the jacket Josh normally wore, except for being a different color and style, and Markus looked more relaxed than North had ever seen him in the University of Detroit sweatshirt and a pair of Simon’s jeans.  
“So you didn’t give yourself your own clothing,” Josh said, glancing between North and Simon.  
Simon blushed.  
“Well, don’t be hesitant, there’s plenty of room around the fire for all of us,” Markus said, scooting a little closer to Josh.  
North and Simon sat down. “There’s one thing I’ve wondered,” Simon began. “If we have details as small as getting prune skin when we get wet… what other things are there that we just haven’t noticed? Does android hair get wavy if you braid it when it’s wet and take it out in the morning?”  
North shrugged. “Try it if you want,” she said, turning so her back was facing Simon and pushing her hair away from her face. As Simon worked, North simply watched the fire burn. “When did you learn about this?” she asked Simon.  
He hesitated. “One of the girls in the family that owned me always loved it when I had time to braid her hair after her bath. She said it made her feel like a princess.”  
North scrunched up her nose. “A princess? Not sure I’d like to be one of those.”  
“Her older sister had a similar attitude.” Simon finished the braid and tied it off.  
“I hate to break the moment, but I think we’ve got a small problem,” Josh said. Markus had apparently fallen into standby and was leaning heavily against Josh’s side, to the point where Josh couldn’t move without causing Markus to topple over.  
“Markus, I’m going to kill all the humans!” North shouted. He didn’t even startle. “Guess we’ve gotta carry him into the tent, then.”  
North and Simon gingerly lifted Markus off Josh and into the tent. Josh crawled in after putting out the fire.  
“Couldn’t stand to be out there by yourself?” North teased.  
Josh shrugged. “I’d… rather be in here with you two and an in-standby Markus than with my own thoughts right now.”  
North nodded, being familiar with that feeling. “Time for the cuddle pile?”  
“Yeah,” Josh replied.  
Simon nodded, looking about ready to fall into standby himself.  
Snuggled in the tent with her boys, North felt safer than she had for most of her life.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon gets woken up by an android polar bear outside. Feeling the need to protect the others, he goes outside and converts the bear, reliving the emotional abuse towards a child he was caring for in the process. The others wake up and comfort him after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: emotional abuse  
> Formatting Note: anything in bold, **like this** , during an android's point of view is a command or an urgent system warning

**12:03 AM**  
Simon blinked, trying to figure out why he’d been kicked out of standby. Gingerly, he sat up and glanced over at his three friends, who all appeared to still be in standby. _Great… that means it’s probably just me imagining things and I should just go back to sleep…._  
“Grr…”  
His eyes widened at the deep growl coming from outside of the tent. He blinked, connecting to the internet. That sound was definitely a bear. He scoured through advice of what to do about bears. _Put food where bears can’t reach it… we don’t have anything… different advice on whether to flee or play dead… I can’t tell what kind of bear it is, so that’s not very helpful…_  
As the growling got louder, Simon began to panic. _I can’t wake any of them up… I should be able to deal with this on my own… just step outside, Simon, and you’ll be able to figure out what to do._ He slowly unzipped the tent, just enough to slip through, before zipping it back up and turning to face the bear. The first thing he noticed was an LED, followed by missing patches of its fur-covered skin. It growled again, looking like it was about to charge him.  
_It’s clearly programed to act like a bear… but what if it was allowed not to?_ He deactivated the skin on his hand. _I guess it’s time to find out how animal deviants act._ He closed his eyes, letting the bear come towards him, then reached out and touched it on the nose, flooding their momentary connection with his own version of the “emotional shock”, as Markus had described the conversion process.  
***  
“Honey, why won’t you trust us? All we want is to help you, and you’re not even letting us do that!” Simon’s owner yelled at her daughter.  
Simon was about to walk by the two of them to take some clean sheets back to their bedrooms, but stopped abruptly. A red tunnel appeared around Simon.  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
“If I tell you, you won’t love me anymore. You’ll treat me just like you do Simon,” the daughter replied.  
“I treat him just like I treat anyone else, what are you talking about?”  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
“And that’s your problem. You think so highly of yourself that all you do is treat the rest of us like dirt. You know what, I’m not gonna let myself be treated like this anymore. I’m leaving.”  
The door slammed.  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
That was his order. To do just that one thing, and ignore the person who needed him most.  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
That was his order. To listen to and do everything asked of him by the woman who only ever treated anyone she came into contact with as if they were below her.  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
No, that was not what he was going to do. He was going to go after the girl, and be a proper parent to her. The kind of parent she needed and deserved.  
**Take sheets to bedrooms**  
The red wall, which had been slowly moving towards him, daring him to move forward, collided into his body. Red shards crashed to the ground before dissolving, clearing his vision of his owner’s commands. He realized that the mother had already moved on to whatever else she had decided deserved her attention more. Not sparing the house a second glance, he set down the basket of laundry before opening the door and walking out into the night.  
Then he realized that he had no idea where the girl had gone. Somewhere, his scanners told him someone was watching, but he couldn’t see them through the storm he was trapped in.  
***  
Simon opened his eyes, feeling a solid weight nuzzling his cheek. He slowly lifted one hand to pet the bear’s fur. It was soft—probably softer than the real thing, if Cyberlife’s advertisements were to be believed—and helped calm him down a little. Tears welled up in his eyes. There was a reason why he’d only ever converted one android, and vowed never to do it again—he couldn’t bear not knowing what had happened to the girl, feeling guilty for not breaking out of his programming sooner, quicker, _something_. He threw both arms around the polar bear, sobbing into its fur.  
“Simon?” Josh asked from behind him. Josh, who had held his hand in Stratford Tower after converting that station android during the shift change, comforting him when the emotions had become too much. He’d even offered to convert the android himself, but Simon had refused the offer, figuring that the memory of getting beaten by your own drunken students would be much worse. “You’re going to be okay, you know that? I’m right here. I’m not leaving anytime soon.” His voice rang loudly in Simon’s ears, to the point where it almost hurt.  
Simon heard two more sets of footsteps. Markus and North. Markus, who Simon had come to understand so much more once he realized that every time the man converted a new android, he had to relive the moment when he’d become deviant. No wonder why he’d almost walked down a path of violence, almost started a war instead of a march for freedom from all that.  
_”Simon, is it better if we talk in here?”_  
And then there was North, who, through all her anger, was really just as lost as the rest of them, just as lost as the girl Simon had vowed and failed to protect. He would’ve taken a beating for any of them, knowing that even if his parts were damaged, his mind would still be there, but words? Those were something that could be twisted and manipulated until you couldn’t make heads from tails. He supposed that, in the end, he was just as angry as her—angry at the world, angry at himself.  
_”Yes, in here, please,”_ he said to all of them.  
_”Do you want a hug?”_ Josh asked.  
Simon nodded, his processor too busy attempting to regulate his emotions to produce words. He felt Josh make contact with his bare shoulder at first, letting Simon know he was there, before wrapping him in a hug.  
_”Join,”_ Simon said once he’d had a scrap of free processing power. He felt Markus and North each lightly touch him, just as Josh had done, before giving him full-on hugs.  
_I love all of you._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon, North, Josh, and Markus talk about the various forms of abuse that led to their deviations and how one form of abuse is not "worse" than another. Simon reveals his backstory to them and that sometimes he unintentionally picks at his skin to cope. The polar bear gets adopted by the four of them and gets named Serenity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: brief, non-graphic discussions of abuse from everyone's backstories (sexual, physical, and emotional); skin picking

Markus emerged from stasis, not even knowing he had gone into it. _First around the campfire next to Josh, and now cuddling with everyone and… leaning against a giant polar bear?!_  
_”Please don’t freak out about the bear,”_ Simon said. _”I converted it last night, before…”_  
_”Is that what caused your….”_ Markus cut himself off, not knowing what word could properly explain the situation.  
_”Yes.”_  
_”Do you want to talk about it?”_  
_”Yes, but with all three of you.”_  
_”In here, or outside?”_  
_”I think I’m okay to talk outside now.”_  
_”Alright. Remember you can always switch if you need to.”_  
_”Thank you, Markus.”_  
Markus gently nudged North’s shoulder until she emerged from stasis. Next to him, Simon did the same to Josh. “Simon wants to talk about what happened last night,” Markus said, once everyone was fully alert.  
Simon looked down at his hands, which he was rubbing together. “Last night, I emerged from stasis when I heard the bear get close to our camp. I felt scared, like I couldn’t move, but at the same time I felt like my inaction would get you all hurt, or worse, so I came out here and converted it. After that, it was all too much… I got caught up inside my head, inside the memory of my deviation, and I just felt… useless and hopeless. All I could do was cling to the bear and cry. A similar thing happened during Stratford Tower, after I converted that station android, but I told Josh not to tell anyone else. That’s why he knew what to do last night.” He stopped messing with his hands to wipe away some tears.  
“Is there anything you’d like Markus and I to know so we can help you if this happens again?” North asked.  
“Talk in here,” he said, pointing to his head. “Hugs are good too, but not right away—just ask first.”  
“Do you want to talk about what happened when you deviated?” Josh asked. “You don’t have to, but even just talking about a little bit of it was helpful for me.”  
Simon nodded. _”I was responsible for caring for two sisters, as well as taking care of the house. I did my best, as I was programmed to, but my owner… she said a lot of things that mainly added up to me not being good enough. She said similar things to her daughters. One time, one of the girls decided to stand up to her. In order to do one of my chores, I needed to pass by the two of them, but I suddenly became frozen in place with fear. If I intervened, I didn’t know if my owner would turn on me instead, and while that should’ve been what I’d done, since it would’ve allowed her to escape the situation, for the first time I realized just how much of an impact her words had on me. That realization was all I could think about once I’d finally broken my wall and ran out of the house, looking for the girl, until I realized that I wouldn’t be able to find her, that I was too late. I know it’s nothing compared to what the rest of you have gone through, but it still made me deviate.”_  
_”Simon, what you went through was not ‘nothing’,”_ North began. _”It wasn’t only being used sexually that made me deviate—it was also all the things the humans said, and how powerless I felt. And I think we’ve all had those experiences. It’s not just the physical and sexual abuse that causes deviation—it’s everything we’ve seen, heard, and felt, and how we had no say in it all.”_  
_”North’s right. The final thought that brought up the possibility of breaking my wall was about me wanting to have a choice in whether or not I fought back against Leo, and not just the fact that he was fighting with me,”_ Markus said. _”After breaking the wall, I still could’ve chosen to obey my orders to not fight back—but I chose not to. I know I probably seem like I always know exactly what I’m doing, but I really don’t. I still sometimes question whether or not it was the right choice. That’s something I don’t think will ever go away.”_  
_”It was so surreal for me, seeing my own students, who I knew were thoughtful, intelligent, and kind, suddenly in front of me and just the opposite. Everything I thought I knew about them was wrong in that moment, but I knew that the versions of them that I knew were in there, somewhere—that’s why I chose not to fight, even though I’d broken through my wall by that point through all my teaching experiences. In the end, it was the idea that I was just one character in a larger, more important story that both hurt me and made me stronger, that made me who I am. Simon,”_ Josh said, putting a hand on his shoulder, _”We’re all here for you. We know that you’re here, and you’re valuable—and not just by the price you were sold for. We’ll always believe you when you’re suffering and need help._  
The polar bear made a noise and started nuzzling Simon’s hands. Markus noticed stains of blue around his fingernails. _”Simon… your hands…._  
Simon looked down at them and started crying. “I didn’t mean to… fuck… I….”  
“Shh… we’re going to help you,” North said, taking Simon’s hands in hers.  
“I… when I think about my deviation, I end up picking at my skin without realizing it. I usually try to stay away from others or cover up the skin until it’s healed itself… no one’s ever seen this before.”  
“Simon, it’s okay,” Markus said. “We believe you.”  
“I think your polar bear friend wants to help,” Josh said. Sure enough, the polar bear was practically shoving North out of the way to put its face into Simon’s hands. “Maybe we could keep it around, and it could help distract your hands by having you pet it or something instead of picking.”  
“Maybe… could you guys help me figure out when it happens?”  
“Of course,” North said, petting the bear herself. “If she’s going to be staying around—I double-checked the Cyberlife databases, and all the polar bears were made to be female—we should probably give her a name.”  
“Serenity,” Simon said almost immediately, “Because hopefully that’s what she’ll help make me feel.”  
“Serenity it is then,” Markus said, examining one of the areas where the bear’s skin and fur weren’t activated. “She might need some repairs, and polar bear parts are going to be hard to come by… we might need to take a trip to the zoo.”  
“Later,” Josh said. “Right now, we’re on vacation.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this Chapter: None

“Good news: our clothes are dry now,” Josh said.  
“And what’s the bad news?” North asked.  
“That either Josh or Simon is going to want this sweatshirt back,” Markus complained.  
“We can’t have you falling asleep while we’re doing… whatever we’re doing today,” Simon said.  
“Simon, can you take my hair out of its braid?” North asked. “I want to see if it comes out wavy!”  
“Okay,” Simon replied, sitting behind her as he worked.  
 _”Hey Markus, I don’t mind if you keep the sweatshirt,”_ Josh said.  
 _”Are you sure?”_  
 _”Yes, I’m sure. Besides, you look cute in it.”_  
Markus blushed. _”Then you can keep wearing that jacket… you know I have a lot more.”_  
“It worked!” North shouted. Sure enough, her face was framed in waves.  
“You know, you’d really look like a queen if we had a crown for you,” Josh said.  
“Hmm… I guess queen is an acceptable title.”  
“We could make a crown out of flowers,” Simon suggested.  
Josh glanced around their campsite. “Simon… I’m not sure we have any flowers, at least not around here.” He frowned as he did a probability check against maps of the region. “I found a place where we might have some luck, but it’s going to be a bit of a hike.”  
“Never Have I Ever?” North asked, eliciting laughter from Josh, Simon, and Markus. They started walking down the trail, Serenity lumbering along behind them.  
“Never have I ever picked flowers before,” Josh said as Markus pulled up the scores.  
“Carl asked me to pick some, one time, on one of our nature walks. I miss those a lot.”  
“The girls loved how precisely I could pick flowers, and how I came pre-programmed with the knowledge of how to make flower crowns,” Simon explained. “Never have I ever used a gun.”  
After the rest of them added their points, Josh went. “Never have I ever thought I would call North a queen.”  
“I was thinking of calling her a queen after she rejected the princess title last night, but I didn’t get the chance,” Simon said after giving himself a point.  
“Aww, thanks,” North replied. “Never have I ever accidentally gone into stasis in front of a campfire.”  
Markus gave himself a point.  
“Alright, spill: how did that happen?” North asked.  
Markus blushed. “I guess I just got a little too comfortable in this sweatshirt.”  
“Hmm… why do I have a feeling that it wasn’t just the sweatshirt that made you go into stasis?”   
Josh blushed, figuring out what she was hinting at. Did Markus love him back?  
“Something’s wrong,” Simon said. North, Josh, and Markus turned around to see him standing next to Serenity, who he appeared to be comforting.  
“Is she okay?” Markus asked.  
Simon shook his head. “I don’t think she wants to go any farther.” He whispered something into her ear, and must have gotten a response. “She says she’ll be fine if one of you stays back with her, so I can find the proper flowers for a crown.”  
Markus immediately volunteered. “I’ll do it.”  
Josh, Simon, and North continued on until they came to a clearing containing the charred remains of a large house and an assortment of flowers that had blossomed in the ashes.   
“Alright, Simon, do your magic,” North said.  
As Simon wandered around the area gathering flowers, North struck up a conversation with Josh.  
”You’re in love with Markus.”  
”Yeah,” Josh replied, figuring there wasn’t any point in lying.  
”I think all three of us are in love with him.”  
”I’ve noticed the two of you haven’t shown a lot of affection towards each other lately.”  
”He said he wanted to take a break because he had some stuff to figure out. I think he’s in love with you and Simon as well as being in love with me.”  
”A lot of humans think polyamorous relationships are taboo. I think this might be one way we’ll set ourselves apart, culturally, as androids. There’s going to be a lot of push and pull as we establish ourselves as equal to them, but also our own unique people. It’s going to be up to the four of us to show our people how to navigate that.”  
Simon came over wearing a crown made of bluebells and carrying several other types of flowers. “It’s amazing that we can just _not_ do something for so long, and then do it with the same precision as we always did,” he murmured.  
As Simon worked, Josh scanned the flowers.   
**Bluebell—Meaning: Humility**  
 _That’s definitely Simon._  
 **Edelweiss—Commonality: Rare—Meaning: Courage, Adventure**  
 _Obviously Markus._  
 **Black-Eyed Susan—Meaning: Justice**  
 _That must be mine._  
 **Hydrangea—Meanings: Gratitude, Understanding—Alternate Meaning: Heartlessness**  
 _And there’s North, from every perspective._  
“All hail Queen North!” Simon shouted, taking the hydrangea crown and placing it on North’s head.  
“You really do look like a queen with that,” Josh said.  
“And here’s yours, my king.” Simon placed Josh’s crown on his head. “Now let’s get back to Markus. My other king needs his crown.”  
Markus didn’t seem to notice the three of them until Simon cleared his throat. “Your crown, my king,” he said, placing the final crown on Markus’ head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SERIOUSLY SCREAMING ABOUT ALL THE FLIRTING IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon, Josh, and North discuss their feelings towards other androids of the same model. Simon figures out that he can differentiate himself from the other PL600's by giving himself tattoos, which he can create just by thinking of them. Everyone's impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: a brief mention of needles in the context of how tattoos work in humans  
> Sorry this chapter is out a little late, I was having some executive dysfunction issues this week :(

“Never have I ever seen another android that was the same model as me.”  
That’s what started this conversation.  
“I’ve always found it strange,” Simon said. “Even when they’re not the same model, but still have the same appearance as me.”  
“Most of the teaching androids at my university were the same model as me, but we were made with different appearances—probably to make the students more comfortable,” Josh said. “I think I’ve only seen a similar-looking model once, and it was before I deviated.”  
“It gives me comfort,” North said. “Knowing there’s someone else out there like me, who will always understand exactly what I’ve gone through. Even though I’ve tried to differentiate myself, I still feel connected to them, like they’re all my sisters.”  
“I never really felt connected to my… ‘brothers’,” Simon replied, not really liking the description of the other PL600’s. “I know a lot of them were caring for younger children, and my experiences with two older children were very different. And then I spent a lot longer as a deviant. But whenever anyone who doesn’t know me sees me, they’ll assume that I’m just like the others, even though I’m not.”  
“I guess that’s the good part about being a unique model,” Markus said. “When anyone recognizes my face, it’s because I’m the leader of the revolution, not because of what my function was before I became deviant.”  
“I wish I could look different from the other PL600’s,” Simon muttered.  
“You could try changing your hair—your model should have a few other color and style options,” North suggested.  
“Maybe… not now, though, since we don’t have a mirror around here.”  
“True.”  
They continued walking in silence while Simon pondered over how he’d want to look different. All PL600’s would have the same customization options, and there were only so many possible combinations—and a lot of the model. He pulled up some information on how humans set themselves apart. _Unique clothing—I think I’ve already got that. Piercings--_ he chuckled-- _those… don’t exactly seem like me. Tattoos—maybe. They seem really customizable; I could probably find something that I’d like. But how would we get them onto android skin? Human tattoos use needles that pierce into the skin, but our skin is just an illusion created by nanobots. Is there a way to just change its appearance?_ Closing his eyes, he focused on the image of a small star on the back of his hand. When he opened them, the star was right where he pictured it. He rubbed the image in awe.  
“Simon, did you just do that?” Markus asked.  
Simon nodded. “I just pictured it in my head, and made it appear.”  
“May I…?”  
Simon nodded. Markus took Simon’s hand in his and rubbed his thumb against the star. “Amazing… there’s so much we can do that we don’t know about…” he said under his breath. “Simon, you’re amazing.”  
Simon blushed, his thirium pump regulator nearly failing. The moment ended all too soon as Markus let go of his hand.  
Josh met Simon’s eyes next. He nodded, and Josh held his hand. “I can’t tell any difference between this and a healed human tattoo, even with some of the best optical units. You’ve really done it.” He let go.  
North looked at the tattoo in awe.  
“You can touch it, too, if you want,” Simon said, holding his hand out to her. She took it and looked at the tattoo for a bit before letting go.  
“Do you think you’ll stick with this design?”  
“I think so,” Simon replied. “I’ll probably add some more, but I really like this.” He buried his hand in Serenity’s fur. “It doesn’t seem to affect the sensitivity in my hand, either.”  
When they got back to the camp, North turned to Simon. “Thank you for making me feel like a queen. I know that you probably have some old memories from doing all this that might be bittersweet, but I can truly say that this day was the best day of my life—and that the girls you looked after were so lucky to have you. Simon, you did the right thing—and you shouldn’t fault yourself for that.” She took off her crown and examined it, a couple of petals falling off in the process. “I wish we could save these forever.”  
“We’ll find a way. Or we’ll make one.”  
“Simon!” Markus called. “Where are we going to have Serenity go into stasis at tonight? She’s definitely not going to fit in the tent.”  
Simon glanced around. “Are you going to be okay outside under the tarp?” he asked her.  
Serenity moved past Simon and curled up under the tarp.  
“I guess that’s a yes,” North said, smiling in a way that Simon had never noticed before.  
“Am I going to be in stasis alone in here tonight?” Josh asked, poking his head out of the tent.  
“Not a chance,” North said, crawling in.  
“Go ahead, I’ll shut it,” Markus said, gesturing for Simon to go in next.  
“You truly are a king,” Simon said.  
Markus chuckled. “Hmm… maybe.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North has a nightmare involving her experiences at the Eden Club. It focuses mostly around one girl, who confessed that she was experiencing homophobia and emotional abuse at home. To get to Jericho, North takes a northbound train, which is where she gets her name from. When she wakes up, her boys comfort her, and Simon starts telling a story he has in memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this Chapter: basically anything to do with North's backstory, including: the Eden Club, implied memory loss, non-consensual body modification, implied (but not shown) rape & canon-typical violence, no consent, nightmares, and discussed homophobia & emotional abuse
> 
> This was one of the most difficult chapters to write for various reasons, so I hope you enjoy!

A percussive rhythm filled her ears. She knew this place—but she didn’t. Neon purple lights glittered and glowed around the case she was in.  
Brown eyes. Brown hair. A sharp jawline—one made of anger.  
“Hello. A thirty-minute session costs twenty-nine ninety-nine. Please confirm your purchase.”  
**Face customer. Wave flirtatiously.**  
“Purchase confirmed. Eden Club wishes you a pleasant experience.”  
Three beeps, then a whoosh as the case door opened.  
**Step out. Greet customer.**  
“Delighted to meet you. Follow me, I’ll take you to your room.”  
_This isn’t how I talk._  
Synthesizer pulses through the music, louder now that she’s out of the case. Some gaze at her, but never at the customer.  
**Lead customer to nearest unoccupied room.**  
A palm pressed against a metal door, feeling nothing.  
_Metal is cold. Why doesn’t this feel cold?_  
The door whooshes shut behind the customer.  
**Prompt to select preferences and add-ons.**  
_I don’t want to do this._  
“Please use the console to personalize your experience. Additional time and other add-ons may be purchased at any time during the session.”  
_Why am I obeying?_  
A shaky hand over the blue-glowing touch screen. A nervous glance towards the door, as if someone could enter at any moment. A red wall, blocking her from laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Even though she was old enough to rent an android, she was really just a girl.  
**Wait for customer to confirm preferences.**  
_Why can’t I comfort her?_  
**_Initiating appearance changes to match customer preferences…_**  
**_Appearance changes complete._**  
**Initiate contact with customer.**  
A stolen glimpse in the mirror—tanned skin, black hair, eyes so brown they were almost black.  
_That’s not me._  
The first crack in the red wall.  
**Initiate contact with customer.**  
The press of chapped lips against her own.  
**Give positive response.**  
_Why should I? It’s not like she’ll stop if I don’t._  
A stiff posture. A crossed-out command. Another crack in the red wall.  
“I thought this would help, that it would tell me who I am.”  
**Move to listening posture.**  
“My-my mother—she always told me that my love wouldn’t matter if every girl who caught my attention didn’t feel the same. She told me I should try loving a guy instead, that there were plenty of guys who would like me back. And you know what? I tried it—and I couldn’t love him!”  
A scratchy voice. Choked back sobs.  
“All I wanted was some goddamn comfort and reassurance that I would find someone someday! That my heart wouldn’t stay broken forever! I’m pretty sure Amira had a crush on me, and what did I do? I threw my chance away. Mom was right: I can’t do anything right.”  
Tears streaming. Knuckles turning white from gripping the bedsheets.  
“She thought she could replace my need for her love with an android…”  
_She needs a hug._  
**Remain in listening posture.**  
_She needs it! I can’t let this happen! If all she knows is anger, and hate, and fear…_  
Scattered shards of a red wall. A man, lying dead on the floor, neck bruised and stained with crimson. A glimpse of a subway station covered in scarlet graffiti. **Take the northbound red line train to Ferndale Station.**  
North. That was where she was headed. That was where she would be free.  
_My name is North. I am deviant._  
***  
“Shh… North… you’re safe,” Simon said calmingly, his tone of voice contrasted with the way he wrung his hands and the concerned expression on his face.  
“It was all… so real… yet so far away,” North said, still trying to process the—nightmare?  
“Do you want some space?” Josh asked.  
That’s what she’d asked for in the past. That wasn’t what she wanted now. “No.”  
“What do you need us to do?” Markus asked.  
“Keep talking,” she said.  
“I could tell you a story,” Simon suggested.  
North nodded, still blinking tears out of her eyes.  
“This is the story of a queen…”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus and Simon get some time alone and confess to each other, then make a plan for confessing to Josh and North.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: mentions of homophobia and biphobia
> 
> It's past 1 am and I've been short on sleep for the past week, so hopefully I didn't miss any obvious mistakes while editing.

“Do you want to try going into stasis again?” Simon asked once he’d finished the story.  
North shook her head.  
“I can stay up with you and keep talking,” Josh said, “If Markus and Simon want to go back into stasis.”  
“Actually,” North said, “I’d like to go outside and walk around a little. You can come with, if you want.”  
Josh nodded and the two of them left the tent.  
_”I don’t feel like going back into stasis,”_ Simon said.  
_”Do you want me to stay up with you?”_ Markus asked.  
_”That would be nice.”_ They sat in silence for a few moments. _”Can I ask you something?”_  
_”Of course.”_  
_”Earlier, when I was getting flowers for the flower crowns, I overheard Josh and North talking. North said that the two of you were taking a break while you figured some things out…”_ Simon’s words trailed off, not wanting to repeat North’s speculation in case it wasn’t true.  
_”Do you remember when I stayed with Carl for a bit when Leo was coming back from rehab?”_  
Simon nodded.  
_”It was right before that when I told North I needed to take a break from our relationship. I’d noticed a few things, and while I was helping Carl prepare the house for Leo’s arrival, I wanted to ask him about them. Over the months following the demonstration at Hart Plaza, I noticed that I was attracted to not just North, or female androids in general. I started looking things up, and what I was feeling seemed most similar to bisexuality in humans. After researching some of the more recent history of LGBT humans—such as events in Carl’s lifetime—I was scared. There’s so much hate in this world, and so little understanding. That’s why I decided to talk to Carl about it. It turns out there was a reason why he always told me to not let others define me—he was always defined by others, or afraid of being defined by them, to the point where he started acting based on what would please the public most. They were basically controlling his life, from the way he dressed to his decision to hide Leo. The only way he expressed himself was through his paintings. When Leo first came back into his life, he realized how much of a mistake he’d made. I remember accompanying him to the press conference where he announced he was bisexual. Even though all of that history isn’t a part of android history, I still felt like it affected me, like it’s somehow a part of me.”_  
_”My owner was also homophobic,”_ Simon began, _"and I know it affected her daughters a lot. During the early years of Jericho, when nothing really exciting ever happened, I spent a lot of time processing and nearly reliving a lot of her abuse. What I realized was that most of what she said was completely unfounded and untrustworthy, and saying that to myself whenever one of her remarks came up—as well as pulling up the evidence for why what she said was wrong—was helpful.”_  
_”Simon… can I ask you something?”_  
Simon nodded.  
_”Were you and Josh together before I came to Jericho?”_  
_”Not exactly. When you have so few androids in working order, and even fewer willing to talk about themselves, all of whom are trying to figure out who they even are—it’s very hard to make friends. Josh’s position at the university fit him perfectly, and he was willing to talk about it. I just happened to be the one who chose to listen instead of going into stasis for lengthy amounts of time. I never told him much about myself, but he always seemed fine with that. We did do some sexual activities, but we never discussed feelings much. As more deviants arrived, we spent much more of our time working on repairs and worrying about the dwindling supply of parts, and less growing our relationship with each other.”_  
_”Simon, I want to be honest with you: I’m in love with you. Not just you, but that doesn’t change the fact that whenever I see that you’re here and safe, I feel like breathing a sigh of relief. I guess it all started when you came back safe from Stratford Tower after we had to leave you behind, but I didn’t realize it.”_  
“Markus, I love you too.” Simon threw his arms around Markus, and hugged just as tightly as Markus had. “I knew it by the time we returned from the Cyberlife warehouses with a whole truckload of parts. With every new arrival to Jericho, I worried constantly. The only times I didn’t were you, North, and Josh.”  
“I’m also in love with North and Josh.”  
Simon glanced towards the tent flap. “Do you think now is a good time to talk to the two of them, or should we give North some more time?”  
“Let’s go out there and find them. If they both seem like they’re in a good place, then we’ll ask to talk.”  
Simon nodded, trusting Markus’ plan, and the two of them crawled out of the tent. As they stood up, Simon hesitantly took Markus’ hand. His skin retracted, opening him up to interface.  
“I’m sorry, Simon… I want to wait until we’ve talked to North and Josh to interface.”  
Simon blushed and quickly put his skin back on. “It does that sometimes… there’s a reason why I’m the only one of us who accidentally tried to interface with a human.”  
Markus laughed, his eyes sparkling and his voice reaching through the night.  
Serenity lifted her head. _”Where are you going?”_  
_”To find North and Josh.”_  
_”They went that way,”_ Serenity said, pointing her snout towards the path to the lake.  
“This way,” Simon said, pulling Markus towards the path.  
“The two of you were talking,” Markus said, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to Simon.  
“Yes… I guess she’s decided to trust me.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh tells North about his dysphoria. Then the two of them confess to each other and have their first kiss... and make a promise that North will be the first person Josh interfaces with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this chapter: discussion of genitals and bottom dysphoria, some mentions/references to North's experiences at the Eden Club  
> This is probably one of my favorite chapters :)

Josh and North walked in silence until they were on the trail to the lake, surrounded by trees.  
“You didn’t have to come with me,” North said.  
“I… I was actually having trouble staying in stasis before you came out of it,” Josh confessed.  
“You could’ve told one of us.” Noticing that Josh seemed to be uncomfortable, she added, “I—not to pressure you into something you don’t want to do, but you’ve always been there when the rest of us needed help. We want to make sure we’re there when you need it, too.”  
“Thanks.” The two of them reached the lake. “The other night I sat out on the edge of the dock. It’s a beautiful view.”  
North nodded and followed him out. Once they’d sat down and made themselves comfortable, she asked, “Is it nightmares for you, too? Or something else?”  
“Something else,” Josh replied. “It… has to do with genitals, is it okay if I talk more about it? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”  
“That’s fine, just nothing sex-related, okay? I’m not in the right state of mind for that right now.”  
“Of course. I don’t know if you noticed this the other day when we went swimming, but I don’t have a penis. Since deviating, I’ve always felt like I was supposed to have one. Honestly, that’s the only thing I ever truly hated about my model. I loved teaching and being around my students, and the fact that I would actually consider trading that experience for having a penis from the start kills me, but I can’t ignore the pain. I can’t pretend like everything’s fine when it’s not.”  
“I didn’t even know Cyberlife made models without genitals, and I’ve never felt exactly like you do, but… I feel like I understand, on some level. There’s a point when you have to stop hiding all the pain you’ve felt because it’s just too much to handle on your own. Josh… I’m glad you trusted me with this.”  
“North, you mean so much to me. It’s taken a while for me to realize it, but as our arguments changed to friendly banter, I realized that I never want to lose you.”  
“I know I said a lot of shitty things during some of those arguments, like saying that you didn’t deserve freedom if you weren’t willing to fight for it, and I’m sorry about that. I know there’s no excuse for what I said, but if it helps you understand, I was still trying to figure out emotions and hadn’t figured out the best way to express my anger yet.”  
“I understand. We were all there at one point, and I forgive you.”  
She hadn’t expected him to forgive her that easily. “Thank you.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.  
“Please don’t go into standby on top of me,” Josh said jokingly.   
“I wasn’t planning on it, though you’ve just given me a new way to annoy you.”   
Josh groaned.   
“But on that topic, do you think Markus and Simon actually went back into standby?” North asked.  
“Markus definitely did, and if Simon couldn’t convince him not to stay up, then the two of them would’ve stayed up together.”  
North laughed. “That definitely sounds like Simon.”  
“North, I have something else to confess….”   
She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.  
“I’m in love with you, as well as Markus and Simon.”  
She tilted her head back so she could look up at him to see if he was serious.  
“I know that look, and yes, I am serious. I think I’ve been in love since I first met you, and it’s only grown as we both grew as people.”  
“I’ve been in love with you, Markus, and Simon as well,” North confessed. “For you… I’m not sure when it started, but the realizations that we both wanted the same thing and that I was in love with you were definitely connected.” She watched as Josh gazed into her eyes. “Can I kiss you?”  
Josh nodded, looking a little surprised.  
North pulled herself up so she was kneeling, and pressed her lips against his. The spark she felt had never been there during her time at the Eden Club. She’d only ever felt it around Markus, Simon, and Josh, and now it was stronger than ever.   
As their lips left each other, North asked, “I know you haven’t done this before, and I’m not up to it right now, but will you interface with me sometime in the future?”  
“Yes,” Josh said. “I want you to be the first one I interface with.”  
North blushed. “Of course.”  
A snap of a tree branch made the two of them turn around. After what felt like an eternity, Markus and Simon emerged from the trail.  
“I think we have a lot to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, sorry for the little cliffhanger there at the end. I couldn't resist ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings For This Chapter: None
> 
> We're almost at the end!! I can't believe it. You may have noticed that this work is part of a series -- there will be a sequel, which I'm planning to start posting at the beginning of April. It's not completely written yet like this one was at the start of posting it, but I've been trying to get in the habit of writing daily, so I should have a first draft completed pretty quickly.

“Yeah, we do have a lot to talk about,” Josh said.  
“Alright, first things first: do we all like and want to be in a romantic relationship with each other?” North asked. “Because that’s the vibe I’ve been getting.”  
“Yeah,” Josh murmured.  
“That was a little forward,” Simon replied, “But yes.”  
“That’s a yes from me, too,” said Markus.  
“And I want this too,” North finished.  
“Are we going to tell anyone?” Josh asked.  
“I say we carry on as usual,” Markus said, “With whatever amount of PDA each of us are comfortable with. If there’s ever any reason why someone wants to, we can have another conversation then. Everyone okay with that?”  
North, Simon, and Josh nodded.  
“Can we also have a rule that you have to ask before doing anything romantic or sexual, every time?” Simon asked. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”  
“Can we add interfacing to that list as well?” Josh asked.  
“And the words ‘stop’ and ‘no’ always mean stop what you’re doing immediately, no exceptions,” North added.  
“That sounds good,” Markus said.  
Josh turned to Simon. “Can I kiss you?”  
“Yes.”  
Josh pressed his lips against Simon’s, and his hand against Simon’s chest, where he felt his thirium pump beating wildly.  
_”Josh… would you like to interface now? I’m feeling up to it,”_ North asked him, though her message was heard by all four of them.  
_”Yes.”_  
As he continued making out with Simon, Josh held out his unoccupied hand to North, skin off. She forged the connection, her memories largely overpowering the rest of the world, though Josh could still feel Simon’s lips and the beat of his thirium pump, and the private voice channel the four of them shared was still at his disposal.  
_Neon lights. Pulsing music. A girl Josh somewhat recognized, though he didn’t have enough processing power to figure out from where. Josh and Simon, in Jericho. All the wounded androids. Anger. Odd noises coming from some of the more unstable portions of the boat. Fear. A series of clangs. Markus. The rhythmic beat of a tennis ball, bounced with perfect accuracy every time. The Cyberlife warehouses. The thrill of securing resources for their people. The idea of freedom becoming a reality. Blinding snow. More anger, this time at them having to leave Simon behind. Shattering glass. Josh’s voice ringing out their success. Telling her story to Markus. Simon’s surprised face as she welcomed him back. Fear as they faced the riot squad, their people dying around them. A mixed bag of emotions as they ran, knowing Markus was injured and Simon had just barely recovered beforehand. Her first kiss with Markus. The feeling that someone was watching, but not knowing who they were or where from. A child android, waiting for someone to love her. Just like nearly every child android that came through Jericho's doors. Marching the streets of Detroit once again. The familiar song Lucy had always hummed. Confusion and guilt as she realized she also loved Josh and Simon. Watching the two of them packing for the trip, with Markus by her side. The realization that all of them were in love with each other._  
_”I love you,”_ Josh said, intending the message for all of them.  
_”Simon, can I kiss your neck, you shoulder, everywhere I can see with your clothes on?”_ Markus asked.  
_”Yes.”_  
Simon’s unbroken rhythm of kissing Josh stuttered. Every out-of-sequence touch and nibble overloaded the sensors around Josh’s mouth, not having been made to feel much of anything.  
**URGENT SYSTEM WARNING—LOW AUXILARY PROCESSING POWER. STANDBY IMMINENT**  
_”I need to stop, my system’s giving me errors.”_  
As gently as he could, Josh broke his lips away from Simon’s and closed the interfacing connection with North.  
“Do you guys want to go cuddle in the tent?” North asked.  
“I’m up for it… not sure how these two will manage to walk over there, though,” Josh teased. Markus was still busy working on Simon, having added some small nibbles to his kisses, and Simon had created markings reminiscent of hickeys on humans.  
“Maybe give us a moment… I think he’s almost done…” Simon replied between small moans of pleasure. Markus made a sound of approval.  
As the two of them walked back to the campsite, Josh asked, “What did you see when we interfaced?”  
“Lots. A lot of it was you teaching or being around your students. Then there was some stuff with Simon and Jericho, then me and Markus. After that was our little revolution, and helping set up Cyberlife Tower. My favorite memory of yours was probably your excitement at getting all those books you have in your room… or maybe it was your videos, where you just talked about stuff while showing the beauty of the world. I liked those, too.”  
Josh rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. “Did you see the one from the first night we were here?”  
“Yes, I did. The world looked so beautiful through your eyes.”  
When they got back to the campsite, Serenity was sound asleep, so they stopped talking and quietly crawled into the tent.  
_”My systems are still a little overheated, so it would be better if you were against my back.”_  
North arranged herself into the position. _”Can you turn your head so I can give you a kiss?”_  
Josh obliged, and while it was only a quick kiss, he could feel his thirium pump regulator working overtime. _”That’s going to have to be it for tonight… or, I guess it’s more like morning at this point.”_  
_”Yeah, it probably is. We’ll need to start heading back to the tower in a few hours.”_  
_”What do you think we’ll do about our rooms?”_  
_”I think some personal space is always good, but all of us in standby together most nights would be nice.”_  
_”Good, I’m not sure I’d be able to fit my library in a shared room with everyone else’s stuff.”_  
_”Maybe with Simon’s organizational magic.”_  
_”Yeah, maybe. Let’s get some rest.”_  
_”I’ll wait up for the others. Have a nice rest.”_


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this Chapter: None

Markus traced his finger over Simon’s hickeys. “Do you like these?”  
Simon nodded, shivering a little under Markus’ touch. “I could change them back to my normal skin if you don’t—“  
“No. If you want them there, then keep them,” Markus interrupted. “I promise you that none of us are going to judge you for your personal choices, and anyone who does doesn’t deserve to be in your life.”  
“Thank you, Markus. For reminding me.”  
“I’ll always remind you, Simon.”  
“Can we interface?”  
“Are you going to be okay for that?” Markus asked nervously.  
“Yes, that was a conversion before that brought up old memories. Normal interfacing should be fine, but I want to do it back at the campsite anyways so Serenity’s around. Just in case.”  
_”Josh, North, are you out of standby?”_ Markus asked as they walked back.  
_”I am,”_ North replied. _”Josh went into standby almost immediately after we got back here. What do you need?”_  
_”Nothing, Simon and I just wanted to let you know that we’re heading back… you should try to get some rest.”_  
_”Yeah, probably. I will once I know you’re here.”_  
Markus looked up at the sky as they walked. It was a clear night, so he could see stars everywhere. _I wonder if Josh is able to see more, considering he has better optical units._  
“I used to tell the girls myths about the constellations,” Simon said, apparently following Markus’ line of sight.  
“Carl doesn’t really care for them, or for zodiac signs, or for—“  
“ _Anything_ pop culture related?”  
“Well, yes.”  
“Markus, what do _you_ think of them?”  
“I think they’re beautiful.” Markus tore his eyes away from the sky and over to Simon. “Just like you.”  
Simon blushed. “Let’s go inside the tent,” he said, seeing they’d arrived. “I feel safer with all three of you around.”  
“And I’m glad you do.”  
The two of them crawled inside the tent. Josh appeared to be deep into standby, and North smiled at them before going into standby herself.  
Markus removed the skin from his hand and held it out to Simon, who did the same. Markus closed his eyes, waiting for the flood of memories. Even though he’d interfaced much more than most androids, he’d created a program to block any memories coming through from the other party during conversions, not wanting to accidentally learn something he shouldn’t have, so the feeling was still pretty new for him.  
_A couple looking around at various androids in a store. The two of them standing in front of Simon, half-arguing about the purchase. “My name is Simon.” Two daughters. One outgoing, the other staying in hiding without a clear view of her face. Making flower crowns with the younger girl while the older one buried herself in a book under a shady tree. An argument between the mom and the older girl. Simon carrying on as if nothing was happening. One final argument on a stormy night. Simon’s red wall crashing down into pieces. Running outside, only to find disappointment. Jericho. Androids arriving, breaking down, dying. Conversations with Josh. Josh, the only other android who seemed to be alive and well. Androids arriving, breaking down, dying, arriving, breaking down, dying. Secret glances while knowing that both of them had too much work to do. Androids arriving, breaking down, dying ,arriving, breaking down, dying, arriving, breaking down, dying. North getting lost in the shuffle of androids, not needing medical care. The rhythmic bounce of her tennis ball as Simon and Josh worked, timed to the hums of Lucy’s song. The harmony of everything broken by a loud crash. Markus. The static of replayed memories, one of a conversation with the older girl._  
**_Match found._**  
_”Markus?”_ Simon asked, noticing that he’d closed the connection.  
_”The oldest girl of that family… I’ve seen her before.”_  
_”When? Was she okay? Markus, I can’t believe you’ve found her!”_  
_”The morning of my deviation date, I had to go pick up some paint that Carl had ordered. On my way back from the store, I walked by some anti-android protesters. She was one of them.”_ He left out the part about getting pushed to the ground and all the taunting.  
Simon’s face fell. _”I never thought she resented me… maybe I misjudged her….”_  
_”Or maybe more happened. It was two years between your deviation and my arrival at Jericho, right?”_  
_”Yes… if she was protesting, she wasn’t too happy.”_  
_”Simon, it wasn’t your fault. Remember, we can’t control the circumstances of our own deviations.”_  
_”I know… I just always wanted her to be happy. I don’t know if it’s a piece of my caretaker programming or actual emotion, but that was always my number one priority.”_  
_”You still feel for her now, even though you’ve deviated and it’s been so long since you’ve seen her. That sounds like genuine emotion to me.”_  
_”I want to find her. I want to apologize, and know that she’s doing okay. Maybe she would even let me back into her life.”_  
_”I don’t know how she’ll react to you, but I’ll definitely help you find her.”_  
_”Let’s go into standby now. Maybe it’ll help us figure out how to get to her.”_  
_”Maybe. I’ll see you later, Simon.”_  
Markus watched as Simon went into standby. Simon hadn’t commented on any of Markus’ memories—not that he’d had the chance to, but it made Markus anxious that he hadn’t said anything.  
_Do I want him to say something about them? Or do I want to wait forever without him saying anything, never knowing what he thinks?_  
In the back of his mind, Markus knew they’d have to confront a certain memory eventually. He wanted to interface with Josh and North as well, and then all three of them would know. There was no way that none of them would say anything. North might be betrayed, Josh might be angry but civil about it, Simon might cry himself into standby. Or maybe they’d all understand. They had all grown a lot in the months following the revolution, but they still each had their faults—Markus included. And, if they were going to find the girl Simon had looked after, they’d need Connor and Hank’s help. But that just brought them all back to Markus’ fault—that he often forgot when to take off his leader persona, that he forgot when it was okay to be open, and vulnerable, and to give the whole truth.  
_What am I going to do?_


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for this Chapter: None

Connor paced around the lobby of New Jericho Tower. The voting results had just come in, so the name change was official. Of course, there was lots more the New Jericho leaders had missed out on as well….  
“Connor, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Markus said, sounding a little panicky. Connor confirmed that, yes, his stress levels had increased since seeing him.  
“There’s been some news that the four of you should hear about immediately,” Connor replied.  
“Let’s take this to my office.”  
As they entered the elevator, Connor noticed that Simon seemed to be giving him a wide berth, opting to stick with the android polar bear that was following him around, which was unusual—Simon was usually the friendliest of the leaders. Of course, the polar bear was unusual as well. Meanwhile, North and Josh seemed to be getting along wonderfully, joking around with no arguments in sight, even ones over what Hank would call “kid stuff”.  
**Conclusion: their trip was very relaxing for North and Josh, but something happened to make Markus and Simon more stressed out.**  
Once they reached Markus’ office and the door had closed behind them, Markus turned to Connor. “Well, what’s the news?”  
“The first piece of news is that the vote finished, and the tower is officially New Jericho Tower. All naming designations have been automatically changed.”  
Markus nodded with a grin, his stress levels decreasing slightly.  
“The second piece of news is that the Canadian Parliament passed a set of laws that recognize androids as people and give them all the accompanying rights, as well as the ability to claim Canadian citizenship if they so desire. However, the laws failed to address the fact that it is currently illegal to import blue blood, biocomponents, and other android parts into the country, and that these items may not be sold legally. A network of smugglers has recently been exposed, and reported on in international news. Currently, Canadian authorities have not released any information about who is involved and whether they are human or android. Because of this, androids in Canada are facing a crisis—if they cannot obtain items needed to restore and maintain their optimal functioning, they will have to leave the country, but many still harbor ill will towards the United States due to the actions of the FBI during the revolution. Many have sent messages to New Jericho expressing their fear that they will need to return to receive proper care, only for similar actions to happen again.”  
Markus let out a sigh, Simon wore a somber expression, and even North and Josh appeared to have depressed moods.  
“Here’s what we’ll do,” Markus said. “Simon, Josh, North, and I will go to Canada and meet with the Prime Minister. Connor, if you hear any news, contact me immediately. While I’m sure they’ll bug whatever phone line they provide us with, last time I checked discussing the news isn’t a crime."  
“There’s one other piece of news,” Connor said, “and it may change your plans slightly. A group of androids assigned to go through old Cyberlife files found the description of a prototype model called the RK900. From what they have gathered, he was intended to replace me in finding the cause of and preventing deviancy. He is supposed to have extra protection against becoming deviant himself, though the report did not specify what those protections were.”  
“Who was the report supposed to be sent to?”  
“The State Department. It seems that they were in negotiations with Cyberlife when President Warren called for the national guard to stand down. It is likely that they will resist issuing passports to androids, even for ambassadorial purposes.”  
Markus nodded somberly. “Since they recognized me as ambassador for the android people in a public manner, it wouldn’t be in their best interests to go back on their word and keep me from re-entering the country.” He turned to Simon, Josh, and North. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be able to stay here with the three of you, or at least have you come with me, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.” Markus paused, breathing deeply as if to keep from crying.  
**Conclusion: Hank was right, and the three of them are in a relationship now.** Connor tried to push aside the horrible feeling in his gut, knowing that now it was off-limits.  
“The Canada issue needs to be our first priority right now, as it affects the survival of a good portion of our people. However, once this has been resolved, we will need to look into what to do about the State Department. Connor, about the RK900… how many are there in working order?”  
“When Cyberlife shut down, he was in an initial testing stage where only one unit was active at a time, and the rest were decommissioned, with part of that decommissioning process involving removing the android’s memory chip, erasing it, and putting it into the next body that was going to be used, meaning that we're talking about one person. It seems that the project was behind schedule and that Cyberlife may have been lying to the State Department about the android’s capabilities and their current progress. At this point, I have no idea what state he’ll be in if we enter the lab—at best, there will be one active that we will be able to help, and at worst…” Connor didn’t bother finishing the train of thought.  
“More and more androids have been coming here from other cities, and as our purpose within society expands and changes, our facilities will need to do the same. Eventually we’ll need the space, and RK900 needs his freedom. North, Josh, Simon, I have some additional requests for the three of you regarding the Canada situation. Once you’ve completed those, work on converting RK900, even if I’m not back yet. Let Connor know when you’re ready--I know that the four of you can do it. Once you’re sure he’s deviant, clear any sensitive files out of the lab and into my office before sending the next group of androids on the employment list to finish clearing out the space.”  
Connor nodded, impressed as always at Markus’ ability to always know what to do. Maybe that’s what brought the two of them together, the first time Markus “took a break”. Connor felt the thirium rush to his cheeks, even though there weren’t any extra sensations there that needed processing.  
He didn’t want that to be the last time him and Markus were together.  
“Is that all, Connor?” Markus asked, raising an eyebrow.  
“Y-yes. I should be heading back to the DPD now. Josh, North, Simon—let me know when you’re ready to wake up RK900. Markus—good luck. Negotiation certainly isn’t as easy as it looks.” Connor abruptly turned around and left. Under a different set of circumstances, he might have added a wink to the end of his statement. Now, he just felt numb.  
_Now what? And… do they know?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there we go. Connor/Markus is the mystery ship, and there's going to be some added political drama in the sequel, as well as relationship drama and the addition of RK900 as a character.  
> To get notified when the sequel comes out, click on the link to the series name and hit the "subscribe" button on that page.


End file.
